HOMENEWSCities of the Future From energy transition to carbon neutrality

Cities of the Future From energy transition to carbon neutrality

29/11/2017

The conference ‘Smart Cities / Cities of the Future - From energy transition to carbon neutrality’ was held yesterday at the Picoas Forum in Lisbon, promoted by Lisboa E-Nova, within the framework of Sharing Cities, supported by Smart Cities Magazine and the sponsorship of Altice. Around 100 participants were present.

Under discussion was the connection between technological and social innovation and carbon neutrality and there were several fantastic examples presented, proof of what we are already doing in our country and in our city. During the day, both in the presentations and in debate periods, the participants collectively considered pathways to decarbonisation compatible with meeting global goals such as the goals of the Paris Agreement. They spoke of local and national policies, digital transition, circular economy, innovation and entrepreneurship.

It was in this context that Telma Mota from Altice Lab presented Sharing Cities, highlighting the great challenges of smart cities, such as population growth, environmental impact, urban rehabilitation, complex dependencies in the energy chain and the integration of all challenges with the need to keep vibrant and attractive cities. In her presentation she mentioned how Sharing Cities is crucial to sharing the problems and ambitions of the cities involved, the common solutions that can be found to control urban space, and how smart cities should use the information they produce to improve their lives, optimise processes, reduce costs and open doors to new markets.

While presenting Sharing Cities’ goals and the cities involved in the project, Telma Mota highlighted implemented measures in Lisbon that attract more investment, promote the creation of new business and jobs and accelerate and consolidate the intelligence in the city. An example of this is the Urban Sharing Platform, a platform with information based on open standards and open source solutions that uses best practices and interfaces (APIs) that help align the city's technology and service needs.

She ended by sharing some lessons learned in the development of this project, noting that evolution should focus on society, even though the implementation scenarios are driven by technology; the importance of innovation, extraction and data management, as well as security and privacy; and the relevance of new business development to keep up with market trends.